Love is Blind. A phrase as old as time, meaning that love is not built on external factors, like appearance.
Netflix took the phrase literally — I’m assuming, in order to compete with dating shows: “The Bachelor,” “Bachelorette,” and “90 Day Fiance” — and created a show where love is actually blind. Men and women are invited to a fancy place hoping to find love, but they can only communicate with potential partners through a wall. The contestants only meet the person on the other side when they choose to get engaged. Then, the pairs are whisked off to an expensive vacation to foster their physical connection, and the deal is finally sealed with a kiss and legal papers. Ideally, everyone ends up married.
There has been tons of buzz about this show — from those who are smitten by their lover and from those who think the concept is just absurd. No matter where you fall, you’ll have fun watching it.
I usually appreciate the ability these Netflix creators have to think outside the box and truly flip the audience’s expectations on its head. Most of us are driven to a particular person by how we feel when we look at them. Then, we follow that connection to see if our personalities are compatible. It’s an interesting concept to reverse the order in which we fall in love. It would be, if it weren’t so idealist.
Call me cynical, but I don’t believe one can know who they will marry within five days of knowing each other. By the second episode, a couple is already engaged. That’s nonsense.
The age range for the contestants on the show are from early twenties to mid-thirties. Most reasonable people in this age range don’t know if they want to move in with their partner after three months, let alone make a legal commitment in five days. How much can you really know someone in five days? We see the results of that unfold with Diamond and Carlton, when he reveals his fluid sexuality after their engagement. Diamond does not react super well.
I interpret this show as trying to make a statement on how judgemental we are as people—that, usually, love is not blind. Our eyes are the first tool we judge with. I believe that the show could be saying a lot more, if every single contestant were not so conventionally attractive.
Every guy is pretty muscular, and every woman is pretty thin. Every guy is traditionally masculine. Every woman embodies femininity. Every contestant has nice teeth.
Every single couple was ecstatic to finally meet their counterpart for the first time. I wonder how these relationships would play out if the contestants included those who were not able-bodied, not conventionally attractive, and not heterosexual.
Although I do not believe you can honestly say, “I love you” after three days, I do find myself smiling a bit when these couples have genuine conversations with one another and recognize the budding romance between them. Who doesn’t love love?
Kirsten Magas is a fourth-year English major with minors in creative writing and journalism. KM867219@wcupa.edu